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Who: Nico

arrowtotheheal
When: Backdated to after Annabeth's left
Where: Will's apartment
What: Two friends just talking
Rating/Warning: None

[It's been over a couple days since Annabeth disappeared and Nico has a feeling she isn't coming back anytime soon. A part of him hopes that means she's where ever Percy is now but he doesn't delude himself into thinking that that means they're not dead either. He hopes they aren't, but this place is different. He can't tell if they're alive or not, or trapped in code like the people of this place say, or something else. It's still confusing and he doesn't entirely understand it yet. All he knows is he has one less person he trusts in this place and he definitely does not want to be here on his own. He's had more than enough of that in the past.

Which has resulted in keeping more tabs on Will. At the very least, Nico contacts him every day, if not outright going to see him. It's not like he has a ton of friends lining up outside of his door to hang out with him.

So here he is again, knocking on the door to Will's apartment here, trying to think up a new reasons for him to say about coming over because 'I don't want to be lonely' sounds sad and pathetic and there is no way he is admitting that easily.]

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[Whenever Will has a free moment lately, his thoughts keep worrying at Annabeth and Nico. He's not sure where their daughter of Athena friend has gone or where people who are lost like that end up. Like Nico, he doesn't want to think they die, but he also won't rule out that possibility, as much as he hates the thought. Haven't they lost enough friends and family?

As for his worries about Nico, it's mostly in how frequently he's been contacting the son of Apollo. Not that Will minds, per se, but he's concerned. Nico normally isn't a social guy. Sadly, Will doesn't know him well enough to really say whether this is normal behavior for him or not after a very confusing and worrying loss like this.

At the knock, Will opens the door. He's not at all surprised to see Nico there and he opens the door wide for him.]

Heya. C'mon in, and sorry if it's messy.

[Will, your apartment is almost sparkling clean. Maybe there are some dirty clothes hanging where they shouldn't be, but other than that....]

[Nico raises his eyebrows as he steps inside and looks around the almost spotless room.] If this is your definition of messy, then my room should be declared a disaster zone. [The side of his mouth twists up in a hint of amusement.] Good thing I came here.

[Once inside, he stands there for a moment awkwardly, not wanting to just sit down since he wasn't really invited over.]

... Any word from Annabeth? Or anyone else from home?

Yeah, well, you learn pretty fast when you've got a billion brothers and sisters to clean up after.

[He shakes his head.]

No, not so far. And I'm gonna guess that you haven't, either.

[Will runs a hand through his hair, frowning a little. Then he gestures over to the sofa.]

Well, while you're here, go ahead and make yourself at home. You want something to drink?

[He shakes his head.] Nothing. And her place is cleared out, from what I can tell.

[Once invited, he walks to the couch and sits down on it.] Thanks. I'll, uhm, take some water.

[He wants to talk about Annabeth and what might have happened to her but after already having spent a day trying to chase down any sort of lead and coming up with nothing solid, he decides to talk about something else that's less depressing.

... But what to talk about. He's not the best at striking up a conversation... so he goes off something Will said himself.]

What's it like...? Having so many brothers and sisters.

Edited 2015-03-26 23:36 (UTC)

[Will goes to get a glass of water for Nico and lemonade for himself.]

Chaotic! And dad's got as many children as Aphrodite, if not more.

[He shakes his head, but there's a fond look on his face as he hands Nico the water and sits down a comfortable (for the son of Hades) distance away.]

A lot of days, it's like trying to herd cats, and cleaning can be interesting. Instruments, crumpled up papers, and pens and pencils all over the floor, sometimes find their way into our beds. I found a guitar pick in my pillow, once! I still don't know how it got in there.

And, you know, we have our fights. Sometimes it means sorting out poetry curses gone wrong.

[Nico murmurs a quiet thanks as Will gives him the cup, taking a small sip once he's got it in his hands. Aphrodite does have a lot of children, which Nico thinks is a little interesting because while Apollo and Hermes also have a lot of kids but no real godly partner, Aphrodite does. But the gods will always be the gods, he's sure, and when you're the goddess of love, well...]

Sounds like the Hermes cabin when I stayed there after I first got to camp. ... Do you ever wish it was just you sometimes?

[In fairness, Will's kind of glad Apollo never married...that might have turned out as bad as or worse than Zeus.]

Sometimes I wish I had maybe one or two siblings. It's why I usually go home for most of the year. I love them dearly and I'd take a bullet for them, but with that many siblings...I kinda need a bit of a break.

[Even he's got limits on his patience.]

But, then, if it was just me, I'd probably have burned myself out within the first year of being at Camp Half-Blood. [He tilts his head.] What about you? You wish it was more than just you and Hazel sometimes?

[That's certainly a question. Nico looks down into his water glass, wondering if he should just brush the question off or actually be honest. He and Will have been stuck here on their own for about a month, so they've gotten to know each other's personalities better, but he still doesn't know a lot about the son of Apollo... and the son of Apollo doesn't know a lot about him either.

... Knowing Will though? He has a feeling Will would be able to tell when he's hiding something.]

... Sometimes. But not often. [He picks the honest route, talking quietly.] It's... not easy losing someone close to you. Especially when they're your sibling. [And if you don't have any in the first place, you can't lose what you don't have.]

[Nico pauses, considering stopping there but... he trusts Will and while he's nervous about eventually telling Will some other things about him, talking about both his sisters isn't something he feels nervous about. Sad and solemn, but not nervous.] There used to be another child of Hades. She, Hazel, and I are the only ones I've ever known about.

[Will sets his glass down on the end table, knowing he'll just fidget with it after Nico says how it's not easy to lose a sibling. He knows that too well.]

No, it's really not. There'll always be a hole there.

[He hesitates.]

Do you want to talk about her?

[Nico understands. Even if the rest of the Apollo kids might not be Will's full siblings, he knows he would be just as devastated losing Hazel as he had been about Bianca.

Nico does fiddle with his glass a little, tapping his finger lightly against it as he thinks about what he wants to say.]

... Her name was Bianca. She was my sister. Not half-sister, my sister. She died on the first quest she went on, the same month we found out we were demigods. I was 10. She was... the only person who ever accepted me and the only family I had after Zeus killed our mother. [His face grows a little darker at those last words, frown deepening.] I was... 7 then, I think.

... How much do you know about me, Will? [He wonders what Will does know because it makes him curious just why Will wanted to be his friend in the first place. Was it just because of what he'd done during the Battle of Manhattan and the last battle against Gaea? Or did Will know more than just that and still wanted to be his friend in spite of other more personal things he knew?]

[This...is a wealth of information that Will knows Nico doesn't tell everyone on the streets about. It's horrifying that the guy next to him has lost so much in such a short period of time, but it's also not surprising.

He doesn't show pity. That'd be an insult to anyone. Will does have a look of sadness on him, though.]

I've heard rumors about a modern-day Lotus Eater thing had happened to you, which are about the only ones I'm willing to put even a little bit of stock in.

[Camp Half-Blood is more like Gossip Central, and there's no use denying that rumors run rampant, especially among chatty teenagers.]

I've seen you at the three major battles, and a little bit before you took off in the aftermath. Honestly, I don't know a whole lot about you that's concrete, other than what you've just told me and that you had a fondness for Mythomagic.

[Nico actually lets out a little groan when Will mentions that last thing.] Why of all the things do people have to know about that? [It's said mostly in a grumble of slight embarrassment to himself. He has his Mythomagic stuff here, but it's hidden away in his room. Well, it could be a lot worse.]

The Lotus Eater thing isn't exactly a rumor. [He'll start with clearing up any confusion about that since Will's already heard about it, gesticulating with one hand while the other continues to hold his water.] There's this place in Las Vegas called the Lotus Casino. You're aware of the pact the Big Three made not to have anymore demigod children after the last World War? Because of the Great Prophecy? [He looks at Will for confirmation before he goes on.]

Because it was endearing and cute.

[He says it automatically and with absolutely no shame or embarrassment. Why deny the truth?]

Yeah, one of my...former head counselors told me about it when I arrived at camp. We were told it was because they were too powerful. [He tilts his head and gives Nico something of a sardonic smile.] Not too surprising that wasn't the entire truth, though. Zeus and the Olympians were scared of it, weren't they?

[It's a good thing Nico wasn't taking a sip of water at the time because he would probably have choked on it.] Uhm... [He coughs once like he's clearing his throat and carefully sets the water down now so he doesn't spill it. He tries hard not to blush but it's probably not working as well as he'd hope.]

R-right, so... Yes, they didn't want their children getting into anymore fights that affected the whole world and with the Prophecy being unclear of if the child would destroy or save Olympus... The... problem was, while Zeus and Poseidon already had children over the age of 16, at the time, Hades... Hades didn't.

[And now he feels that nervousness come back. 'The Lotus Eaters thing' is one thing. Saying he's from the past is another. But... Will's accepted him for his creepy death and shadow powers so far. And he can't help but hear Jason saying in his head "Maybe take a risk that I'm really your friend and I'll accept you."]

... My sister and I were already born but weren't 16 yet. [He's got his hands gripped tightly together now, looking down at his lap and waiting until Will says something before he dares to look up again.]

Edited 2015-03-30 23:06 (UTC)

[All Nico's going to see is sadness from Will.]

Zeus didn't want Hades' children to be the ones to make that decision, even if you have as much capability of being great heroes as any other demigod. I'm guessing he tried to eliminate you rather than give you a chance?

[It aligns with all he knows of Zeus, at least, and it actually offends him.]

I've got a lot of unkind things to say about that decision, but I know better than to give voice to them. [Will sighs and shakes his head.] Sorry, please continue, if you want to.

... That was more or less it. [One half of his brain is questioning why Will isn't making a bigger deal out of the fact he's from the 1940's but then the other half of his brain goes 'because it's Will'. Whatever that means. He'll think about it later.]

He tried to kill us by blowing us up but our father protected us just in time. My mother... [Nico doesn't think he needs to be explain she died.] Our father sent us to the Lotus Hotel where time passes differently. We were there for 70 years but it only felt like a month or so. Hades had us dipped in the River Lethe before that so we didn't remember much about our lives before. It's... starting to come back, little by little, but there's still pieces... [He trails off again. There's quite a bit he's leaving out that he knows, like Hades cursing the Oracle in anger over his mother's death, but it's nerve-wracking enough telling Will even a little bit. He's not ready to spill out his whole entire life story.] Anyway, he had one of the Furies, Alecto, come and pull us out of there disguised as a lawyer after the gods found out about Percy. A year or so later, a manticore tried to attack us and Percy showed up. We got taken to Camp Half-Blood, my sister went on a quest... [And she didn't come back. He trails off and goes quiet for a moment before finishing with:] So that's the Lotus Eater thing.

[Will's quiet for a moment. He takes the information in stride, mostly because he's familiar with the Odyssey and is used to weird stuff like that happening. What he says next is not only genuine, but kind.]

For what it's worth, Nico, I'm glad you're in our time. I just wish it didn't come with a hefty price tag like that. I would've liked to have met the other di Angelos. Your mom must have been pretty amazing if she got Hades' attention twice.

[You don't know the half of it, Nico thinks to himself. He does smile ever so slightly though.] Thanks. There's... some things that I think are easier, being in 21st century. [But he is nooot wanting to talk about what those specific things are, especially not in front of Will. He doesn't really want to talk more in depth about his dead family either because it just brings up sad memories so he shifts the focus back on to Will.]

What about you, how did you find out you were a demigod...?

[He'll accept that. That had been a pretty heavy information dump, after all, and he does appreciate the fact that Nico told him the truth.]

Oh, gods, I was just a kid when I found out. I arrived maybe a year before Percy got to camp? Anyway, mom knew about Apollo, but she held off on telling me anything about being a demigod until a satyr found me.

[Will shakes his head, a little amused as he thinks back.]

I got enough of the story to make my head spin, and within the hour I'm on my way to Camp Half-Blood. It really didn't help that Apollo claimed me pretty fast, too. Just imagine sitting down at the dining pavilion when you're, like, nine or something and suddenly there's a bright, gold lyre spinning over your head.

At least you knew where you belonged fast. [He doesn't say it with any hint of bitterness to it, outside of maybe a twinge of wryness.]

Did you have any idea before then? Ever see anything that people thought you were crazy for? Like once I saw a bus driver I was sure had horns, and other weird things kept happening around us.

More like a rare moment of helpful foresight from dad. I never did think it was on accident that I made it to camp as young as I did. Wanted to get all his children with strong healing gifts into training as soon as he could. [Will says that good-naturedly, at least.]

Snakes behaved weirdly around me. [He looks about as fond of that as an Athena kid is fond of a spider.] I thought I saw a chimera once, but I got lucky in that it didn't even bother to attack me. Felt like I was gonna have a coronary right on the spot, though.

[Will has to think for a quick second.]

Come to think, a lot of my monster attacks dealt more with the animal kind than the humanoid ones.

... That's a good point. I don't think I would have thought of that. I'm sure Camp was better off having you there sooner rather than later, but I can't imagine it was easy at first. [Demigods got into a lot of trouble and having to take care of wounds on someone when you were that young? It wasn't something a 'normal' kid would go through.]

I remember one time these guys tried to attack me and my sister in an alley. Luckily, we got away. I'm still not sure what they were, exactly. We didn't get a good look at them. Too busy running. [He remembers his heartbeat racing as they high-tailed it out of there, almost tripping over his feet and holding onto Bianca's hand tightly so he wouldn't lose her, her squeezing his hand almost painfully so she wouldn't lose him either.]

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